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All posts for the month February, 2012

The storm drove on , winds of 70 miles an hour, blast up the hook, making any ascent impossible.

There is no sign of being followed, the bolt that was fired was definately dark elf ! After checking the the 2 chimera caves , Corik finds an ancient door , with a winding corridor leading down. After getting Past a few traps they look out into a huge cavern, over 300 feet in length,width and height. They see a huge white dragon encased in ice, sitting on a bed of gold, and precious stones, with many items of magic , kolbi and corik leave not wishing to face the dragon yet, but bris lingers, when he cast detect magic, there is a rather large glow, but one of the eyes opens!! Another Time for our fearless adventurers!!!

Backing off to the chimera cave, they make a camp and eat the chimera ( tastes like chicken!), during the night they hear an ogre patrol, grumbling about stone giants, and being forced into near slavery by barl breakbones, the storm is to severe to hear much else. The next day after taking a few wrong turns , they continue to the hook. They get back on the correct path, and come across a band of 6 ogres, using one of his rune of sleep, corik lures the 6 ogres accross the dreaded rune and three instantly fall asleep .

Facing only half of the ogres was still a rough fight, but they despatched the 3 and slit the throats of the sleeping 3… there is no sentiment in battle. We left it, as bris had reached another camp this time with large stone giants on guard or patrol, the characters are busy planning there attack strategy!!

Well that was 3 in quick succession, we moved the game on a bit , and left our heroes in a fix, the cleric was killed, but the power of saranrae knows no bounds, and life was breathed back into him, but once you have visited the other side you are forever touched. Corik returned to this world with a bronze coloured eye.

The sprite yap leads them through the swamp past the dead pool, through a glade with lots of spirits risen from the dead , to a huge half submerged ship, finally they reach the glade of corruption.

Eventually, the tangled swamp gives way to a relatively large clearing, a calm pool of unnaturally still water ringed by twisted, decayed willow trees. Wind blows, but the trees do not sway. It is as if the very land has died. Yap quails at the edge of the clearing, quietly informing the PCs, “We’re here… my lady waits for you within. I dare not go any closer…” The terrified pixie steps back, then cowers behind a gnarled tree and waits for the PCs to step into Myriana’s glade.

Once soul-shakingly beautiful, the nymph princess Myriana is now a haggard, ghostly horror. Her disembodied arms float at her sides, exposed bone and sinew stretching toward her torso but ever too far out of reach. Her lower torso fades away to smoke, savaged too cruelly by the ogres for even her insane ghost to keep. But her most terrifying feature are her eyes: wells of hellish horror, crying out silently in an agony beyond anything a mortal creature could ever know. They reduce those who try to hold her gaze to gibbering children. She is beauty undone, and torment incarnate.

As the PCs enter her twisted glade, the ghostly nymph rises with a howl from the waters. Although she doesn’t immediatelyattack the PCs, her blinding beauty is in full effect. In a shrieking, hate-filled voice, she accuses the PCs of failing Lamatar, of failing to protect Fort Rannick, and of allowing the Kreeg ogres to take him to their lair high on Hook Mountain. Yet she does not immediately attack the PCs. She allows them a few minutes to state their case, and to explain why they have come to Whitewillow. If the PCs ask her what they can do to help, she simply bemoans the fact that she has no part of her lover’s body to return to life. All she asks for is a fragment, a single finger, a lock of hair—anything. Climb Hook Mountain, avenge his death, and return to her with a relic from her lover’s body—she shall take care of the rest.

Travelling Back to Turtlebeck , it looks like the rebuild work has gone well, people have been hired to man the damn, a magic user has been sent for to summon creatures for the floodgates, getting supplies and winter clothing they turn there eyes to the hook, 10,000 feet above.

The great rains turn to driving snow as winter comes with a fury upon the Hook. Autumn is a forgotten dream as cutting wind lances through wool and leather, and treacherous ice crawls along the mountainside. Life is cruel and short on the Hook, more now than ever as winter sinks her teeth into its crags.

Picking up small goat tracks and ogre paths the begin there ascent, the going is rough , the weather unrelenting, after a day of travel, they come upon 2 huge caves, sneaking up, bris sees its a chimera den

The fight was brutal and punishing but they won through, but something is following them, is it something from Kolbi`s past , a crossbow quarrel struck the rock next to Corik?????????????????????

lFacing the three trolls, the combat did not start well, kolbi charged and alerted the trolls, but not before giving the first a hefty smack! The other trolls responded, 2 attacking Kolbi and dealing seriuos damage , and one attacking Corik, bris keeping out of the way, dealing deadly damage. The the mighty Grazuul appeared , this ancient evil misshapen creature from an age past!! Its lair has been here for centuries!

Making there way to the Last room , they find the way of stopping the dam is for someone to go inside as , this ancient machine uses the life force of demons and other creatures, bris sacrifices himself and the floodgates open. Making there way back to town , the weather is unrelenting , the people of Turtlebeck ar in the process of rebuilding there homes, they stay in the inn , and have a meal , a hot bath and comfortable bed, they tell the mayor about the dam and he says he will contact magnimar to get help with the dam.

Whilst in there room , Bris is woken by a sudden pain in mouth , something had punctured his lip and buzzing about his head, speaking too fast, he calls the creature to slow down, it introduces itself as Yap !

“My mistress, she is… ill. Very ill. Death would have been a kindness. The land sickens with her heart, and it cannot be cleansed until her misery is purged. I cannot do this myself. Please, you must help her! You are friends with her human lover, yes? He wouldn’t leave her like this! I can take you to her—maybe you can do something. I have tried everything to cure her forlorn heart, but to no avail. She wails and moans in Whitewillow, and the trees and plants and nixies and frogs andeverything are dying or worse! I can take you there!! Please

Bris tells the fairy to come back at first light, which it does at 4am !! The towns people are tough and hardy folk they work tirelessly to rebuild there home, the characters agree to help, it will also aid them if they can find Lamatar the leader of the Rangers , he may help them with there search for Larin Karns tomb!!,

After buying some herbs they aquire a boat and make there way into the shimmerglens, small water ways and small bodies of land are a blight on the landscape, they notice the rain does not come this far .

It s very dark and going is slow, Yap is away scouting, when the characters stop for a break and some food, as they tie the boat off , they hear 2 large creatures making there way towards them, a creature of dark terror

This lobster-like creature has a thick armored shell. A pair of tinyeyes gleams above a mouth full of writhing tentacles.

The fight turned bad , really bad , with bris hidden in a tree and Kolbi getting attacked , Corik charged one the creatures , it attacked back with devasting might, and killed him! Its mighty pinsers near cutting him in twain! Not before Kolbi drove his hammer into them !!

Corik lies dead at Kolbis feet, who can save him, do we have a spell ? Is there a herb ?

They must find the whitewillow, but of Yap there is no sign ???????????????????????????????

The air in this forty-foot-high cave is thankfully fresh as a brisk breeze whistles through from the north, yet still, the dozens of mostly eaten firepelt cougars, deer, and even a few humans heaped along the walls fill the room with a stomach-turning stink.

The Ettins were beaten easily , these horrible creatures , fought hard , and with a few fumbles the fight lasted maybe longer than expected , the criticals flowed nicely !!!! With ettins treasure taken the characters made there way up another large stair case.

Reaching the top of the Dam, they were met by a galeforce wind, a sleet rain that is driving in from the north, corik notices a group of humanoids over the far side of the dam.

The upper walk of Skull’s Crossing is relatively clear of rubble, though a three-inch layer of water has pooled across much of its surface. Here and there, sections of the dam’s surface have crumbled away, although this damage appears relatively old. A tower of skull-shaped domes sits at the center of the dam’s walk. To the north surge the choppy waters of the Storval Deep, while to the south, the slope of the dam’s face drops away to a muddy lake nearly three hundred feet below.

Well not to be too obvious , its was going to happen the dwarf attempts to make along the slippery dam,but alas he fell 300 feet to the pool below barely surviving, he dragged himself onto the shore ,loosing items in the pool, with a spell of waterbreathing Bris retrieves them, going back down they heal the dwarf , and build a fire to warm up, they wait a few hours, and strike out again. This time they make it to the skull dome and enter.

Piles of rubble dominate this large room, along with bits of flesh, broken weapons, splashes of blood, and a few dead ogres that have been torn limb from limb. Wind and rain howls through circular openings to the north that look out over the Storval Deep, and puddles of water have collected on the floor. Thick sheets of ropy green fungus grow along the walls here, winding in through both the windows and through numerous cracks in the domed ceiling thirty feet above; behind the fungal vines, the walls are decorated with hundreds of skull-shaped carvings.

Within the fungus they spot 4 trolls , the combat commences , with the characters having a round of surprise. These trolls are more animal than human, a deadly paralizing ichor drips from fang and claw!

The fight was the most brutal yet faced, not the hardest , but the toughest, fumbles and crits , spells of fire damage , one particular troll rolled 3 crits in a row, smashing into corik for devastasting damage, as is attempted a bite to kill him the shield of fire kicked in and it burst into flame !!! Bris and Kolbi were also hit hard, but they survived , and put the trolls to the torch!!

After healing and searching they find themselves in a observatory

Three round windows in this room look out over the southern view from Skull’s Crossing. Additional skull carvings decorate the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. In the middle of the north wall stand massive stone double doors, their smooth surfaces smeared with graffiti written in dried blood.

Making there way down maybe a 200 feet of so they enter a room This cold, damp room features a large pool in the floor, the edges of which are caked with pale yellow slime and fungus. The surface of the pool bears a similar film. Additional carvings of skulls decorate the walls here. To the south, an impressive mound of skulls—mostly from humanoids—lies heaped against the wall, where they partially block a large stone double door.

They spy 3 trolls within the fungus , not moving, are the hiding or asleep, the pool bubbles ominously !! , what is the next plan ………………………..

I know what characters you have , please could you give me the names of your character and a little background on why you became shadowrunners and why you are together as a team?

, also could you give me the names of all your contacts/fixers and how you know them 🙂

Danny – Bounty Hunter

My name Havlock Bonesnapper was an ex cop who was forced out for excessive force.Namely beat a child murderer to within an inch of his life (took being restrained by five officers to prevent killing him). Disillusioned with the justice system Simlack(afore mentioned murderer)got off due to lack of evidence and I was prosecuted/sacked and only avoided jail with the help of my mentor superintendent Lasarus.Spent the next two year as a mercenary in the jungles of south america working for the highest bidder.Eventually returned home and with the help of Lasarus got work in private security for a year before becoming a bounty hunter.Hunting the scum of the earth again this time without the restraints of the police,which is just how I like it. Contacts Lasarus mcruder Superintendant Police,Jason Delvin ex boss Morlin security,Housous Caracas local fence and boyhood friend(underworld connection)Samfard london ex mercenary currently bouncer in lOne more side note, that child killer(Simlack)met with an unfortunate accident,seems he slipped and fell in front of a mag-lev train. Apparently the only way they could identify his body was through his DNA.The local press mentioned a tall bulky figure seen leaving the scene in a hurry but no one saw his face or how the guy “fell” onto the tracks.To this day the case remains open,along with several other high profile cases of mysterious deaths all involving nefarious characters.Unconvicted murderers rapists and the like,seems there may be a vigilante in the city.Oh well, I’m sure they wont be missed least of all by me.Funny headline in the paper the other day crime down 33% criminals running scared.If they’ve got any sense they will be scared straight,if not then they just may meet with an unfortunate accident.Hey,its a dangerous city out there,very dangerous now I’ve returned.ocal club Wipeout(friend and underworld connection)Sarah Connerly police officer(ex partner-romantic interest)

One more side note, that child killer(Simlack)met with an unfortunate accident,seems he slipped and fell in front of a mag-lev train. Apparently the only way they could identify his body was through his DNA.The local press mentioned a tall bulky figure seen leaving the scene in a hurry but no one saw his face or how the guy “fell” onto the tracks.To this day the case remains open,along with several other high profile cases of mysterious deaths all involving nefarious characters.Unconvicted murderers rapists and the like,seems there may be a vigilante in the city.Oh well, I’m sure they wont be missed least of all by me.Funny headline in the paper the other day crime down 33% criminals running scared.If they’ve got any sense they will be scared straight,if not then they just may meet with an unfortunate accident.Hey,its a dangerous city out there,very dangerous now I’ve returned.

Darren – Adept mage

eric – AKA mr johanson used to work for the aires corporation in its paranormal research division until he found out that some of the research being carried out went beyond what he found acceptable, he accepted that all corporations used runners and that sometimes rules are meant to be broken but experementation on the down and outs should always be done in a way that he could rationalise and using them test the latest smart hunter drones went beyond the acceptable, erik decided that the seatle head of research at his facility had learn the error of his way and the head of operations decided to go slumming in the same district that the drones were being tested and suddenly he found himself in the target area with no idea how he got there, no coms equipment and his docwagon contract terminated, being a spellcasting researcher has its perks, eric decided that when the new head of research anounced that he was to push on with the research with the drones a constructive fire was called for, it got a little out of hand and as well as the reseach office most of the company offices were gutted in the fire luckily there was only two lives lost that night the second head of research and eric so mr johansen was born and the company decided that the research project should use new methods of testing. erics call to the district aterney for his dying confesion from the fire as to what was happening may have had something to do with this, mr johanson then entered the ten thousand daggers mercinary company as a combat mage and for several years toured the globe visiting hotspots in all of the major theatres of war before becoming a runner in his home town… he still ocasionaly belives that justice needs to be dispenced and several murderers and rapists have jumped from the platform into the way of oncoming trains, one even confessed on prime time trid show before jumping (control spells are a wonder of the modern age)

John – Decker

Also at some point id like to do cthulu characters with a full background, i have an adventure sorted to get you all meet, before you face the Masks of Nylathatep

Into February and weather has turned very cold , our intrepid heroes have now secured fort Rannick , but it was time to look at the plots and leads they had, a spiders web of intrigue , but each strand had to be picked at, and so i am really going to get all the information together , see what options the charachter have.

2. What do we know, we know Runewells , we know there is a new cult spreading through golarion – dark elves, we know something went wrong over 10,000 years ago , demons walked the land, we know there was a cataclysm and the thassilon empire was no more, we know the runewells gave the 7 runlelords power, we each smaller runwell served a bigger runewell and so on, we know the mark if the sihedron rune when marked on a person and that person is killed , it feeds a runewll, we know there are was a lost art called runewarding which people used against the demons, there where 2 massive librarys lost to the new era, which held all the information of the old empire and the fall of the empire.

Your options are at the moment

a)All signs point north—something must have happened at Skull’s Crossing. When, in the past, storms threatened to spill over the dam, the structure’s floodgates opened automatically to release water pressure in a controlled flow. None in Turtleback Ferry know exactly how the mechanisim for opening the floodgates works, as Skull’s Crossing has long been the den of a tribe of trolls known as the Skulltakers. Yet as long as anyone can remember, the floodgates have functioned without fault. If the floodgates are malfunctioning, someone needs to brave the wrath of the Skulltaker trolls to determine what, if anything, can be done to repair the ancient Thassilonian structure before a cataclysmic flood washes the entire region away.

b) Lamatar the leader of the rangers was known to be spending time with a nymph called Myrianna.

c) the tomb of ~larin Karn holds a compass which will show the way to a lost library with hidden an old information but how to find it ? Kolbi thinks its the wyvern mountains, a good source of information are the notes the rangers make in fort rannick, but lamatar as leader could give you more information?

d) Tirana of kaer maga maybe knows the location and has stolen one of the ancient swords of power for the church of abadae, you were contacted by Wen histani , also a faceless atranger offered 1000gp to kill the rat king of kaer maga known as Vael who is also Tiranas lover. It was in the journal that the lost library was mentioned , it was deep within the kodar mountains , but only the dead could walk there? Does Tirana also know about Larin Karn?

e) Ironbriar is a dark elf sorceror/thief/cleric of the god norgorber, a very powerfull elf , what is his involvement ? He was working with a creature called a Lamia , an ancient priestess not seen in 10,000 years, not only that the characters have now seen 2, the only other involvment with dark elves , was the cult of the faceless god, and also the characters found a a few teams of duergar and darkelf , why are the dark elves involved ? The last you saw of ironbriar he was also looking for the tomb of larin karn?

Back to the gaming session…. a sad day for the characters Shallelu returns to sandpoint with her father, while Vale disappears!

The characters have secured the fort and rebuilding has started , they were asked by the mayor of Turtlebeck Ferry who has been empowered by Magnimar to offer them Steward ship of the fort , after some long deliberations, the characters turned this down ,the rain had been consistantly bad, and has been causing the river to run faster . After 3 days of the relentess rain a rider approaches frim turtlbeck!

“They are drowning, my lords! The Skull surges along its banks. Even the waters of Claybottom invade the shore and spill across the land. Turtleback Ferry will be gone by morning! The people are doing their best to evacuate, but many are trapped in their attics watching the floodwaters rise. Father Shreed is holed up in the cathedral with the sick, and they can’t be moved easily, and what’s worse, that old church could collapse any minute. You must help us!”

The village of Turtleback Ferry is drowning. The muddy, surging waters of the Skull River tear through the center of the community to fill Claybottom Lake with a terrible fury—many of the buildings that once sat comfortable on the river’s banks are already flooding and in danger of collapsing from the rushing water. A group of children and a woman huddle aboard one of the old turtleshell ferryboats, the tiny floodbashed vessel lodged up against the general store and threatening to capsize at any moment. Beyond, the town’s church stands solid, its foundations already three feet deep in floodwaters. Frantic movement is visible in the upstairs windows as townsfolk trapped inside rush about in a desperate attempt to save scriptures, comfort the sick, and pray for deliverance.

After saving some school children , Bris sees a log , or is it, its the biggest damn log , he as ever seen, and its moving!!!! The sight of the immense monster—its primeval head rising as high as the church steeple—sends the villagers of Turtleback Ferry into a blind panic. No one even notices that the rains have stopped, and that perhaps the flood waters are already beginning to slow. For now, the spectacle of the lake monster seemingly preparing to destroy the church is all that matters. If left to her own devices, that is preciesely what Black Magga does. She takes less than five minutes to reduce the chapel to rubble, and when she’s done, nothing remains—the two dozen villagers who had sought shelter within are either crushed to death or eaten by the ravenous menace.

The characters have a deadly encounter with the beast, but finally it seems to get ist bearing and leaves !!!

It should be obvious that the villagers’ initial fear that Skull’s Crossing has burst has not come to pass, yet the sudden rush of water seems to indicate something dire has happened. Several locals certainly recognize Black Magga from local legend and can explain that the monster was said to dwell in the Storval Deep, not Skull River.

All signs point north—something must have happened at Skull’s Crossing. When, in the past, storms threatened to spill over the dam, the structure’s floodgates opened automatically to release water pressure in a controlled flow. None in Turtleback Ferry know exactly how the mechanisim for opening the floodgates works, as Skull’s Crossing has long been the den of a tribe of trolls known as the Skulltakers. Yet as long as anyone can remember, the floodgates have functioned without fault. If the floodgates are malfunctioning, someone needs to brave the wrath of the Skulltaker trolls to determine what, if anything, can be done to repair the ancient Thassilonian structure before a cataclysmic flood washes the entire region away.

Bris remembers with a few hundred of the villagers marked with the Sihedron rune , it will cause a huge boost of power to runewell near, it looks like Skull crossing is the next !

Spanning the great breadth of the gorge is Skull’s Crossing. The massive wall of stone holds back the waters of the Storval Deep— but only just. Thousands of skulls have been carved into the dam’s face, while five larger ones decorate the middle length. The easternmost of these immense skulls is all but hidden by a steady flow of cascading water pouring through what appears to be a recent break in the dam. For now, the ancient dam seems to be holding its own against the Storval Deep, but unless these rains end soon the recent flood looks to be but a minor precursor to a fantastic disaster. The eastern slopes of the gorge are sheer and slick with rain, but to the west, a narrow stone stairway, its edge decorated with hundreds of poles bearing the skulls of as many different creatures, winds up to a cave mouth near the western rim of the dam itself.

A seven-foot-wide winding stairway of stone climbs the cliff face here, reaching a height of nearly two hundred feet before ending at a cave mouth above. Hundreds of stakes line the edges of the stairway, many of them decorated with skulls—some animal, some humanoid, all marked with a strange skull-shaped rune on the brow.

The short passageway ends here, but to the west, a fifteen-foot-high ledge provides access to a cave beyond.

The characters hear 4 sets of voices arguing with each other

Trying to sneak to the shelf , the two creatues overhear and make there way to shelf and look down, a pair of mighty ettins look down, let the combat commence…………….

Three new shadowrunners were born into a world of corporate espionage and running the shadows

A bounty hunter Troll

A Human Decker / Face

An Adept Mage

Back to the runelords……………………………………..

An epic fight, with Jagarath Kreeg and his cohorts, the orc shamans now free , ran rampage in the fort before fleeing, the rangers and trappers took care of the terrible warband, with phase one complete, they have taken the fort, their pathfinder prestige is still intact , with the weather turning worse , huge drop of rain the size of a mans head , has been falling , this has made the fort a quagmire , as our intrepid explorers start the work on securing the fort , as they wait for reinforcements

They have the following leads :

a) the library for any inforamtion about Larin karn

b) Maybe Finding out what happened to the fort commander ? Did he betray the brothers?